


Merry Christmas, Goblin King

by PrincessAddieJ



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 19:49:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9087700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessAddieJ/pseuds/PrincessAddieJ
Summary: When Addie goes Above to visit her mother for Christmas, it is the Goblin King who walks away with the best present.





	

“You look absolutely adorable.”

Addie’s skin warmed under her father’s thoughtful gaze, his teeth flashing as his lips pulled up in a very playful grin. Her brand-new Christmas jammies were very comfortable and warm and she loved them without a doubt, but she had wondered silently to herself since receiving them if she should like them so much. They were much like Luna’s – all bright green and red with candy canes and reindeers dancing over every spare inch of the plush fabric – but they seemed babyish to the girl, and much as she tried not to like things that were ‘too young’ for her, Addie could hardly help herself sometimes. Her only saving grace was that Luna’s went all the way down to her feet, (thus the younger princess screaming “FEETY JAMMIES” down the hall as soon as she managed to get them on), and hers stopped at the ankle. The Queen had included a pair of red and white striped socks that reminded her husband of another cute little peppermint stick he would never admit to missing, and he smiled ever wider as he watched his eldest daughter pad into the throne room self-consciously.

“Thank you,” she breathed, not meeting his eyes.

Without warning, Jareth scooped her up and hugged her close, whispering:

“It’s okay to like them, my treasure. No one will think less of you, least of all your mother. I swear it.”

Addie wasn’t sure which mother the King meant, but it mattered little. Both Lorelai and Megan were very accepting of the things she liked, and did their best to help her feel comfortable about it. And she was sure he was right, so instead of worrying any longer, the princess simply relaxed in her father’s arms and closed her eyes for a moment.

A very brief moment.

“LET’S GO! LET’S GO! LET’S GO! LET’S GO!” Luna suddenly squealed, running into the throne room in her new jammies and quickly making circles around her father.

“We’ll go as soon as Mommy is ready, Lulu,” he assured the little princess in a steady tone, rubbing Addie’s back with long, soothing strokes.  
“But she is ready! She’s coming now it’s just taking forever!”

“That’s because these two wiggle monsters decided they didn’t want to get dressed today,” Megan said with a long sigh, carrying the boys dressed just as festively as their sisters on each hip.

“Why didn’t you just Move yourself instead of walking all the way here, dearest?” Jareth pondered, noting his wife’s near lack of breath.

“Soren doesn’t like it. I did it once this morning with him and ended up having to change my dress . . . Twice.”

“Ew,” Luna said with a sour expression. Jareth sported a similar one as she unceremoniously handed Soren over to him.

“Yes, my thoughts exactly, so I’m going to let you carry him when we go Above. I like this outfit.”

“Anything for you, love.” Jareth allowed Addie to shift to his back like a small monkey so he could use both hands to face Soren outward in case of another accident. “Is everyone ready, then?”

“YES!” Luna exclaimed, allowing her mother to pick her up with her free arm, smiling the entire time.

Jareth then let out a long breath, seamlessly glamouring himself into something that looked a little more human and a little less like the Goblin King they loved. This included changing his attire to something that wouldn’t turn heads Above; shortening his hair significantly, and removing the glittery eyeliner decorating his already beautiful face. His magic also effortlessly rounded out the points on not only his own ears, but all the children’s as well, giving them a look inherently less fae. Luna and Addie always found that particular part of the glamour tickled while the magic worked, and it seemed as though the twins agreed, as both of them let out tiny giggles until it was finished. Then with a small nod of the King’s head, the entire family disappeared from the Underground in less than a blink.

 

/ / / / / /

 

“Merry Christmas!” Lorelai exclaimed, beaming with happiness as the small family appeared on her doorstep.

“Hi Lorelai!” Luna wailed, immediately hugging the tall woman’s legs and then bounding inside without a second thought.

“Hello! Come on in, we’re all just eating and chatting.”

Lorelai ushered the rest of them inside, stepping aside to take Addie from Jareth’s back and hugging her close. The moment each of them crossed the threshold, Lorelai’s own magic allowed their glamours to melt away, revealing the selves they were more comfortable with. Lucky for the King, that also meant a change of shoes, as Soren had promptly thrown up on them on arrival.

“Why did you think it would ‘be fun’ for us to wear jammies to this party?” Addie asked of Lorelai, a slight whine to her voice.

“Because I wanted you to be comfortable and cute . . . And I think I succeeded.” Addie frowned slightly at her mother’s inability to see the seriousness of the situation. “. . . Would presents help?” Lorelai offered with a hopeful smirk.

“PRESENTS! YES! SISSY, PRESENTS!” Luna shouted with glee, bounding back across the room with handfuls of snowflake-shaped cookies.

Addie had agreed that presents would indeed help her feel at least a little better, so she helped her mother gather everyone into the living room. The house was comfortable enough that the King’s growing family was able to join Lorelai, plus her husband, mother, father, and six older brothers with room to spare. Jareth and Megan each held one of the boys while Luna sat at Lorelai’s feet, and Addie promptly crawled into her Uncle Baz’s lap, hugging his middle firmly. Bazyli was Lorelai’s youngest brother and the closest to her in age. Addie quickly grew attached to him and had been pleasantly surprised to find out it was his letterman jacket she had worn for years on end, always wondering where the “B” had come from when her name began with the letter that came before. Baz insisted she keep it, and even offered to help her stitch an “A” onto the opposite arm soon.

While not all her mother’s brothers lived Above like humans, a few of them did, including Baz. He and his brother Tallon exchanged human-type gifts with Raine, as the three of them had lived Above for the last two hundred years or so and found they preferred it to fae life. The other three, Aaric, Dante, and Kagan each traded shiny trinkets and glowing crystals that Addie had never seen before and didn’t fully understand. Addie’s third set of grandparents – Miranda and Letrand – gave each other gold necklaces with large jewels incrusted in the metal that sparkled even at a distance. Lorelai and her husband Michael gave their gifts to each other and to the children, helping them open toys and providing batteries when needed.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of eating, talking, and playing had begun to wind down when Lorelai found Jareth alone in the bay window of her spacious kitchen, nursing a cup of herbal tea with a thoughtful expression.

“I appreciate you inviting my family here for the holiday. We would have made sure Addie got to see you regardless, but this . . . It was very kind. I am grateful.” Lorelai only nodded with a small smile and gestured to the seat next to him.

“May I sit?”

“Of course.”

She sat next to the King, gracefully tucking one leg under the other and relaxing into a comfortable position before allowing herself a moment to speak again.

“Jareth, I know you don’t celebrate Christmas, but I would very much like to give you a gift.”

“That’s not necessary.” He knit his slender eyebrows together in confusion.

“No, it isn’t. but I’ve been working on it for a very long time. It takes a lot of energy, you see, a lot of magic, and well, I want you to have it. You deserve it.” At that, Lorelai waved her hand as if she expected something to fall, and in fact a box the size of one of her daughter’s thick schoolbooks landed softly into her waiting palm. She laid it in the King’s lap and met his mismatched eyes with sincerity.

“Lorelai, I – ”

“Please,” she interrupted, sensing his rejection, “I’ll even wish it if I have to. Don’t think of it as a Christmas present, Jareth. Consider it me returning something that always should have been yours.”

Jareth had to admit, much as he didn’t want to accept anything from this woman, he was very much intrigued. He decided not to push it any further, and simply began tearing away the admittedly gorgeous glittery paper off the box. Inside was a book, bound in pale leather with gold lettering emblazed on its cover spelling out: ADELAIDE. After sparing a quick glance at Lorelai who watched him patiently, he opened it to the first page, where the cheeky smile of a wispy blonde-haired baby with gray eyes met his shocked gaze. He did not need to ask who this small creature was.

“Addie,” he said, nearly choking on the breath as tears threatened to well behind his eyes.

“Touch it,” she offered quietly, and Jareth did so with little hesitation.

As soon as his fingers met the paper, the picture seemed to become backlit, glowing slightly, before his vision melted into something he was unfamiliar with. It felt similar to a dream, much like it did when he gave his daughters happy thoughts and pictures in an attempt to free them from nightmares, but it was not the same. Dreams were somewhat tinged at the edges, as if they couldn’t quite get a grasp of reality and rightly shouldn’t. But this . . . This was very real.

This was a memory.

He watched as if through his own eyes, as baby Addie giggled and smiled on the floor, cooing at her mother who snapped photo after photo of the happy child. And as soon as it had begun, the memory was over, and the King was pulled back to the present moment where tears were desperately trying to work their way out. Lorelai seemed teary as well, but didn’t want to ruin the moment for Jareth, who could not immediately find the right words to say.

“This . . . It’s . . . You’re giving . . . Oh my gods,” he gasped, flipping through what seemed like hundreds of pictures of his eldest daughter, touching a few here and there. Each one glowed as he grazed his fingers over it, filling his thoughts with memories of her growing up, smiling, laughing, smearing ice cream all over her face, saying “Mama! Mama!” as she made grabby hands at Lorelai. It was overwhelming in the best possible way.

“I’ve attached memories to each of these pictures,” she explained in a quiet voice, “and they are yours to keep.”

“Really?” He gasped, wiping at his traitorous eyes with the back of his hand.

“Yes. As soon as you touch them, the memory will stay with you, as if it were always there.”

And it was true. Without touching the pictures this time, Jareth tried to recall the thoughts on his own . . . And there they were. The memories he had wanted for so long were finally his to keep, and it was almost too much for him to stand. This happiness was not something he had been prepared for.

“I really appreciate this,” he rasped, still fighting tears.

“I know you do, but there’s one more I want to show you.”

Without removing the book from his lap, Lorelai turned to the very last page, where an image of the King stared back at them. Jareth did not hesitate in touching the corner of the image, and anxiously watched himself sulk around a familiar ballroom almost a decade ago. It was much the same as all royal events were, stuffy and boring, and though he was dressed in his best suit with men and women alike following his every move with their eyes, Jareth could not be bothered to be entertained. Instead, he was drawn to the sound of a small cry not far from him. He followed the noise to a slender blonde woman he knew to be a human lover who often found pleasure in giving humans extravagant and realistic dreams.

Lorelai.

In her arms was a fair-skinned baby that could scarcely have been a week old. Wrapped up in blankets of soft pink and yellow, the wild haired baby cried softly, and refused to be soothed. The King was drawn to children – he always had been – and he did not feel uncomfortable in the least to walk up and offer a helping hand.

“Hello Lorelai,” he remarked with smooth confidence. “May I? Children seem to respond well to my tricks.” He held his gloved hands out for the child, and Lorelai complied without hesitation, smiling like mad as she handed the baby over.

“Not too many tricks, Jareth, that’s my first child,” she teased. He smirked at her with gleaming teeth.

“Its name?” He asked simply, beginning to dance around slowly as he rocked.

“Adelaide.”

“Ah, how beautiful. Hello Adelaide. Aren’t you a precious little princess?” He cooed, quickly lulling the girl to a peaceful sleep before handing her back to Lorelai. “Where is her father? I didn’t know you were attached. I thought your own father would be the type to boast when his only girl got married.”

“I’m not married. Adelaide’s father and I aren’t together. It was sort of a one-time thing, but he is here tonight. You might know him,” she said with a knowing smile.

“Well if he’s as boring as half the creatures here, I should not like to meet him if it’s all the same to you.” She laughed at that, hugging her new baby close.

“Believe me,” she said, meeting his eyes again, “he isn’t boring at all.”

Jareth was thrown back to the present once more, his eyes now flooded with tears as they cascaded down his cheeks beyond control.

“Oh my gods,” he whispered, “I don’t remember that at all.” At his side, Lorelai too was crying steadily.

“I know. The Court thought it best that your memories of her be taken away, but I couldn’t stand for you to never meet her. And now . . . I thought it was only right that you remember again. I hope that’s okay.” Without warning, Jareth threw his arms around Lorelai’s neck and sobbed without restraint.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” She hugged him back firmly, letting a few more tears fall as well.

“Merry Christmas, Jareth.”

**Author's Note:**

> Lorelai's family is composed of:
> 
> Letrand (father)  
> Miranda (mother)  
> Aaric (oldest brother)  
> Raine (said like "rain")  
> Dante  
> Tallon  
> Kagan  
> Bazyli (said like "Baz-lee", youngest brother)  
> Lorelai (youngest child)


End file.
